zoomLaw: recent judgmentsNew UK Supreme Court, Privy Council and Court of Appeal judgments, with a summary of what each decided.https://zoomlaw.co.uk/feed.xml2026-10-09T00:00:00ZzoomLawR v Frederic Priestley [2026] EWCA Crim 1284https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1284.html2026-10-08T00:00:00Z2026-10-09T00:00:00ZFraud sentencing requires an assessment of the evidence of victim impact. A sentencer should avoid generalised assumptions that victims who supplied no…Rasmala Trade Finance Fund v Trafigura Pte Ltd [2026] EWCA Civ 1259https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1259.html2026-10-07T00:00:00Z2026-10-08T00:00:00ZThe change of position defence requires good faith, a sufficient connection with the payment and detriment making restitution inequitable. Mere negligence does…Stephen Anthony Aldridge v Mordaunt Estates Ltd (Mauritius) [2026] UKPC 34https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKPC34.html2026-10-06T00:00:00Z2026-10-06T00:00:00ZA director relying on subsequent unanimous shareholder authorisation under section 159(9) of the Companies Act 2001 must plead and establish that defence to…GI Globinvestment Limited & Anor v XY ERS UK Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 1248https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1248.html2026-10-02T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA fiduciary’s core duties of loyalty, no conflict and no profit do not create a separate fiduciary cause of action for non-disclosure. Disclosure is instead…Grosvenor Property Developers Limited (in liquidation) v Partner Law Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 1238https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1238.html2026-10-02T00:00:00Z2026-10-04T00:00:00ZDishonesty requires two stages. The court must first ascertain the defendant’s actual knowledge and beliefs. It must then assess the conduct, given that state…Aviator Llc & Ors v Spribe Oü [2026] EWCA Civ 1224https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1224.html2026-10-02T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZWhether a foreign judgment precludes re-litigation by issue estoppel is governed by the lex fori. It concerns the receiving court’s treatment of an earlier…R v Mark Acklom [2026] EWCA Crim 1240https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1240.html2026-09-30T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZFor the purposes of Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, section 9, the available amount is calculated by adding separate components: free property after priority…R v Lawrence Joshua Rafter [2026] EWCA Crim 1225https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1225.html2026-09-29T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZIn a criminal appeal, the jury remain the tribunal of fact. The Court of Appeal must not conduct a second trial or substitute its assessment of credibility for…C (Child Arrangements Orders; Domestic Abuse; Child Focused Court), Re [2026] EWCA Civ 1216https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1216.html2026-09-29T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZThe Child Focused Court model changes procedure and culture, but not the substantive law governing private-law children cases. The child’s welfare remains…Diogo Santos Coelho, R (on the application of) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWCA Civ 1219https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1219.html2026-09-28T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZUnder Extradition Act 2003, section 179 requires the Secretary of State to choose priority between competing extradition claims by reference to matters…Gary Jones v Persons Unknown [2026] EWCA Civ 1212https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1212.html2026-09-28T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA non-party is directly affected for the purposes of CPR r 40.9 where an order is prima facie capable of materially and adversely affecting a legally…R v Archie Morgan [2026] EWCA Crim 1291https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1291.html2026-09-25T00:00:00Z2026-10-08T00:00:00ZFor causing serious injury by dangerous driving, an obviously highly dangerous overtaking manoeuvre and speed highly inappropriate for the road conditions…R v PHN [2026] EWCA Crim 1279https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1279.html2026-09-25T00:00:00Z2026-10-06T00:00:00ZA party served with an SFR1 forensic summary must respond promptly, identifying the conclusions admitted and the disputed issues concerning any conclusions not…R v Christopher James Cornish [2026] EWCA Crim 1282https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1282.html2026-09-23T00:00:00Z2026-10-08T00:00:00ZWounding with intent to resist lawful apprehension is not invariably less culpable than wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Any difference in…R (on the application of Quaye) v Secretary of State for Justice [2026] UKSC 34https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKSC34.html2026-09-22T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA minimum term judicially fixed for a person detained during His Majesty’s pleasure is not rendered arbitrary under article 5 of the European Convention on…R v Jawaad Tariq [2026] EWCA Crim 1285https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1285.html2026-09-22T00:00:00Z2026-10-08T00:00:00ZA sentencing court must specify the credit period to which an offender is entitled for time spent on bail subject to a qualifying curfew and electronic…R v Bilal Mabchour [2026] EWCA Crim 1283https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1283.html2026-09-22T00:00:00Z2026-10-08T00:00:00ZA challenge to the percentage reduction for a guilty plea is immaterial where subsequent adjustments for totality produced the lowest sentence the judge…R v Kristian Parry [2026] EWCA Crim 1252https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1252.html2026-09-22T00:00:00Z2026-10-06T00:00:00ZWhere no offence category sufficiently resembles the offender’s case, a sentencing court may select a sentence without adopting a category starting point. The…Suleman Patel v General Optical Council [2026] EWCA Civ 1206https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1206.html2026-09-22T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA delay or other procedural irregularity does not, without more, justify setting aside a judgment. The appellate court must consider whether delay has made the…Benjamin Gilbert & Anor v Broadoak Private Finance Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 1172https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1172.html2026-09-22T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA free-standing application for a freezing injunction is not a claim under Senior Courts Act 1981, section 37(1), for the purpose of the enactment gateway in…Carla Anita Cecilia Braynen Turnquest v Water and Sewerage Corporation (Bahamas) [2026] UKPC 33https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKPC33.html2026-09-21T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZIn a trespass and possession claim concerning unregistered land, the claimant need prove only a better right to possession than the defendant.…Stephen Turner v Coupland Cavendish Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 1204https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1204.html2026-09-21T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZIn a solicitor-and-own-client assessment, the statutory jurisdiction concerns the amount properly chargeable under the solicitor’s bill and the resulting…R v Terri Marie Wood & Anor [2026] EWCA Crim 1266https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1266.html2026-09-18T00:00:00Z2026-10-06T00:00:00ZOn a reference alleging undue leniency, the question is whether the sentence falls outside the range which a judge could reasonably impose. Particular…Gillian McGivern v MBR Acres Limited & Ors [2026] EWCA Civ 1202https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1202.html2026-09-18T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZSection 30(1) of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 disapplies the indemnity principle only insofar as legal-aid funding makes the…Forthwell Limited v Pontegadea UK Limited [2026] UKSC 33https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKSC33.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA contracting party generally recovers damages only for its own loss. Transferred loss is a limited exception, founded on the parties’ common intention and…R v Guiseppe Fiorellini-Bernardis [2026] EWCA Crim 1290https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1290.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-10-08T00:00:00ZAttempted sexual offending against an adult decoy is assessed by reference to the intended conduct. Remote offending attracts the same approach to seriousness…R v Christopher Brooks [2026] EWCA Crim 1235https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1235.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZFor an adult offender whose sentence is no more than 12 months and is capable of suspension, section 277A of the Sentencing Act 2020 requires a suspended…R v Alan Ranns [2026] EWCA Crim 1233https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1233.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZPrevious convictions admitted as bad-character evidence must have real probative value for the issue identified. Convictions for sexual offending committed…R v Dwayne Salmon [2026] EWCA Crim 1201https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1201.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZA guideline reduction for steps taken to address addiction or offending behaviour depends on a demonstrated connection between the substance misuse and the…Sean Fitzgerald, R (on the application of) v The Parole Board for England and Wales [2026] EWCA Civ 1199https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1199.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA costs practice protecting a court or tribunal which has acted judicially or quasi-judicially and remained neutral does not apply to a successful Human Rights…Francis v Attorney General of St Helena for and on behalf of the Crown (St Helena) [2026] UKPC 32https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKPC32.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZUnder a Torrens-model land registration regime, a general savings provision protecting Crown interests conferred by other legislation must be read consistently…R v Jamie Reece Williamson & Anor [2026] EWCA Crim 1269https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1269.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-10-06T00:00:00ZInterference with an unduly lenient sentence requires a conclusion outside the range properly open to the sentencing judge on the evidence. Witness…Fiona Hodge & Ors v R [2026] EWCA Crim 1181https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1181.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZSection 277A of the Sentencing Act 2020 creates a strong presumption that an adult custodial sentence of 12 months or less will be suspended. The sentence must…Rhian Bernard Guerrero v Secretary of State for Home Department [2026] EWCA Civ 953https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv953.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA First-tier Tribunal decision that an immigration appeal is deemed abandoned under section 104(4A) is a preliminary decision for article 3(m) of the Appeals…Darren Osment v R [2026] EWCA Crim 1165https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1165.html2026-09-15T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZExpert evidence on confession reliability is properly excluded where it merely duplicates evidence already before the court or trespasses on the jury’s…Axa France Iard SA & Anor v Santander Cards UK Limited & Anor [2026] EWCA Civ 1185https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1185.html2026-09-15T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZAn indemnity for liability arising from an agent’s act or omission while performing duties under an agreement is ordinarily confined to conduct occurring when…TDB, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Haringey [2026] EWCA Civ 1184https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1184.html2026-09-15T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZWhere there is reason to doubt an adult’s capacity to make a decision relevant to a needs assessment, a local authority must obtain a capacity assessment under…E (A Child) (Special Guardianship Order: Public Law Proceedings), Re [2026] EWCA Civ 1167https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1167.html2026-09-10T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZWhen care proceedings may conclude with a special guardianship order placing a child permanently with a local authority foster carer, the court must do more…In the Petition of DM [2026] UKSC 32https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKSC32.html2026-09-09T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZWhen determining an article 13(b) defence under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 1980, a court may consider the…ABC v Huntercombe (no.12) Limited & Ors [2026] EWCA Civ 1161https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1161.html2026-09-08T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZTransfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, reg 4(2)(a), does not transfer a transferor’s vicarious liability to a third party for…R v Martyn Horne [2026] EWCA Crim 1226https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1226.html2026-09-04T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZA prosecution may amount to an abuse of process where those conducting it give an unequivocal assurance that no prosecution will be brought or continued, and…Batavia Eximp & Contracting (S) Pte Ltd v Pedregal Maritime SA [2026] EWCA Civ 1158https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1158.html2026-09-04T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZFor Article III rule 6 of the Hague-Visby Rules, a “suit” is substantive proceedings capable of determining the carrier’s liability for cargo loss or damage.…J's Supermarket Limited, R (on the application of) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWCA Civ 1147https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1147.html2026-09-04T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZProcedural fairness in sponsor-licence revocation is context-sensitive. Where the Secretary of State suspects dishonesty or reprehensible conduct, the…R v Shackeel Blanie [2026] EWCA Crim 1229https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1229.html2026-09-03T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZFor category 2 harm under the Definitive Guideline for rape, severe psychological harm must be substantially greater than harm inherent in rape generally.…R v Oliver Davis & Anor [2026] EWCA Crim 1198https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1198.html2026-09-02T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZA decision whether to suspend a custodial sentence is an evaluative judgment, not an arithmetical exercise. Guideline factors must be weighed together, and a…Anthony Kalinga v R [2026] EWCA Crim 1135https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1135.html2026-09-01T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZSection 1(1) of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 is a preventive offence aimed at carrying an offensive weapon with an intention to use it offensively formed…Aeden Balwah (by Shelly-Ann Balwah, his Mother and Next Friend) and Anor v Marwan Ahmad Alsayed Abdulla (Trinidad & Tobago) [2026] UKPC 31https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKPC31.html2026-08-28T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZAn appellate court may replace a trial judge’s finding of primary fact only where it is plainly wrong: the finding must be one that no reasonable judge could…R v Julie Evans [2026] EWCA Crim 1183https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1183.html2026-08-28T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZOn a reference under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, appellate interference requires more than a lenient sentence. The sentence must be unduly lenient…R v JJH [2026] EWCA Crim 1182https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1182.html2026-08-28T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZFor a reference under section 36 of Criminal Justice Act 1988, a properly given Goodyear indication does not limit the Law Officers’ discretion to refer a…Daryl Derek Richardson v R [2026] EWCA Crim 1131https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1131.html2026-08-28T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZThere is no presumption that a defendant in criminal proceedings will receive an intermediary. Appointment is exceptional and depends on whether communication…Avon Freeholds Limited v Cresta Court E RTM Company Limited [2026] UKSC 31https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKSC31.html2026-08-27T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZUnder Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, failure to give every eligible qualifying tenant a notice of invitation to…Yesim Kul & Ors v DWF Law LLP [2026] EWCA Civ 1130https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1130.html2026-08-27T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZAn appellate court will rarely permit a party to advance an unpleaded and materially different case after trial. The court must consider the nature of the new…R v Michael Haslam [2026] EWCA Crim 1125https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1125.html2026-08-26T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZWhere a guilty plea is not entered as a result of a sentencing indication, the strict Goodyear procedure does not apply, even if the indication preceded the…MB, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWCA Civ 1132https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACiv1132.html2026-08-26T00:00:00Z2026-10-02T00:00:00ZA protection or human-rights claim may be certified as clearly unfounded under Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 only where it is bound to fail. The…R v AGC & Ors (Reporting Restriction decision) [2026] EWCA Crim 1021https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1021.html2026-08-25T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZSection 37 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 ordinarily prevents public reporting of proceedings, including publication of an appellate…R v Peter Kane [2026] EWCA Crim 1242https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1242.html2026-08-21T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZFor a statutory application challenged on the ground that it was made or approved without authority, a bare assertion of authorisation is insufficient. Under…Niki Dean Haycock v R [2026] EWCA Crim 1105https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1105.html2026-08-21T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZAn imprisonment for public protection sentence was unlawful where the offence was specified but did not satisfy the statutory definition of a serious offence.…R v Ellis Coulson [2026] EWCA Crim 1097https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1097.html2026-08-21T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZWhen an offender meets the criteria for a hospital order under the Mental Health Act 1983, the sentencing court must choose between a hospital and restriction…Paradise Island Lighthouse and Beach Club Company Limited v The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas (Bahamas) [2026] UKPC 30https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026UKPC30.html2026-08-20T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZA binding contract is identified objectively from the parties’ words and conduct, asking whether they intended legal relations and had agreed all essential…R v Logan Cheney [2026] EWCA Crim 1243https://zoomlaw.co.uk/2026EWCACrim1243.html2026-08-20T00:00:00Z2026-10-03T00:00:00ZOn a sentence appeal, the issue is whether the sentence was wrong in principle or manifestly excessive, not whether the appellate court would have imposed a…